The present invention relates generally to a method for manufacturing a container having a tear-away spout, and more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a sealed aseptic container having a tear-away spout. Sealed aseptic containers do not support the growth of living microorganisms. As a result, sealed aseptic containers may provide a shelf life of greater than one year without the use of preservatives or refrigeration.
Sealed aseptic containers are commonly used for packaging and transporting products that are sensitive to oxygen and/or light. Accordingly, sealed aseptic containers may be used for beverages such as juice and wine. In addition, sealed aseptic containers may be used for other liquid or semi-liquid foodstuffs such as gravy that quickly deteriorate after exposure to oxygen or light.
In order to provide access to the enclosed beverage or food, sealed aseptic containers may have an opening facilitator. Known opening facilitators include caps, flip-top lids, depressable push tabs, and straw holes. However, these opening facilitators are not cost-effective. In particular, these opening facilitators typically require extraneous components that must be attached to the container by means such as adhesives. Moreover, these opening facilitators do not efficiently deliver mass quantities of the food or beverage.
In order to address these shortcomings, tear-away spouts have been advanced. Nevertheless, known tear-away spouts have not been effective. In order to form known tear-away spouts, a mechanical means is used to cut the outline of the spout in the outer substrate layer of a flat card before the flat card is folded into the container. However, the mechanical means does not precisely cut the outer substrate layer, and the mechanical means runs the risk of puncturing the inner aseptic layer. Moreover, mechanical cutting means typically can only make curved corners. Therefore, a need exists for a method of manufacturing a spout in which the outer substrate layer is precisely cut and the inner aseptic layer is not punctured.
The present invention is designed to meet these objectives. The present invention is a method of using a laser to manufacture a container that has a tear-away spout. First, a flat card is formed by providing an outer substrate layer and then securing an inner aseptic layer to the outer substrate layer. After the flat card is formed, a cut of predetermined depth is made with a laser along a predetermined path in the outer substrate layer so that the cut does not puncture the inner aseptic layer.
After the cut is made in the outer substrate layer, the flat card is folded to form a container that has a flap. The cut extends around the flap, and the flap has a tip. In order to form a spout, the tip is simply torn off at the cut.
In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above, other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and preferred embodiments.